Avid Bioservices’ new CEO lays out his vision for growth

On Sept. 15, contract development and manufacturing organization Avid Bioservices appointed Kenneth Bilenberg as its new chief executive officer. A pharmaceutical industry veteran, Bilenberg most recently served as chief operating officer at Fujifilm Biotechnologies and previously held senior leadership roles at Novo Nordisk.

He succeeded Nick Green, who stepped down for health reasons after guiding Avid through a period of strong growth and the biologics CDMO’s acquisition in early 2025 by GHO Capital and Ampersand Capital Partners in an all-cash $1.1 billion transaction.

With more than 20 years of industry experience, Bilenberg says Avid is primed to enter its next chapter. With him at the helm, the company — which specializes in mammalian cell culture manufacturing — is looking to build on its momentum in a rapidly expanding U.S. biomanufacturing market. As part of his new duties as CEO, Bilenberg will relocate from Denmark to Tustin, California, where Avid is headquartered.

Focus on scalability

Speaking to Pharma Manufacturing, Bilenberg emphasized that bringing scalability to Avid will be a key objective and a critical component of his new role, which is something he helped to drive during his time at Fujifilm Biotechnologies.

At Fujifilm, Bilenberg was responsible for all commercial activities as well as a global manufacturing operation spanning six sites in three countries, helping to scale operations from roughly 1,500 employees to more than 4,000 while maintaining strong client relations.

“My executive experience with Fujifilm, where I helped lead one of the industry’s fastest growth journeys, gave me critical insight into how to scale organizations effectively,” he says. “That means building processes and systems while retaining a strong culture and high performance — all with a focus on people, clients, and patients.”

Strong foundation for growth

A focus on scalability is already reflected in Avid’s DNA, according to Bilenberg. The CDMO’s operations, which are anchored at its Tustin, California, campus, comprises three buildings dedicated to mammalian cell culture development and manufacturing.

The site offers more than 20,000 liters of single-use bioreactor capacity and has supported the production of more than 575 batches.

In addition to clinical and commercial drug substance manufacturing, Avid’s campus provides bulk packaging, release and stability testing, as well as regulatory support. Its process development laboratories feature high-throughput technologies such as the Ambr 250 system, enabling efficient scale-up and robust process characterization within a flexible, single-use environment, according to the company

Beyond its capabilities, Avid’s roots as an originator company — when it first began biologics development and manufacturing as Peregrine Pharmaceuticals in 1993 — have also shaped its CDMO identity.

“From starting out as an originator with that originator mindset, into becoming a CDMO delivering more than 575 batches, and having for the last 15 years a very strong delivery and quality compliance record is very strong for this marketplace,” Bilenberg says.

Avid has not received an FDA Form 483 in more than a decade, which Bilenberg contends is a testament to the company's culture of reliability and consistency.

Trust as a differentiator

For Bilenberg, being able to scale successfully is also anchored in a focus on people, clients, and patients. He stresses that maintaining trust in partnerships as a CDMO will be essential to guiding its growth and describes Avid as a company with a strong foundation in trust in an industry that is constantly evolving and rapidly growing.

“The market is expected to nearly double over the next several years, which brings with it new molecules, new modalities, and different scales of production,” according to Bilenberg. “To succeed, CDMOs must be agile – able to move at the pace of their clients, with predictable delivery from DNA to IND through to commercial supply, and the ability to scale to meet demand.”

In his experience, that trust is a differentiator in being able to successfully adapt to an evolving market defined by rapid growth, new modalities, and shifting client needs.

“Having spent 15 years in pharma, I know how often companies worry about whether their CDMO partners will deliver the right results on time, and to the standards required,” he says. “What I’ve seen at Avid is a culture of reliability — a team that clients can count on.”

Market continues to shift

Bilenberg acknowledged that it is also critical for CDMOs to pay close attention to the new modalities shaping the space and their growing significance, which is a focus he says will be central to his leadership at Avid.

In August, CHO Plus announced a partnership with Avid to scale up the monoclonal antibodies production for eventual industrial scale requirements.

Monoclonal antibodies are expected to surge 10% annually over the course of the next five to 10 years, according to Bilenberg. He also pointed to the antibody-drug conjugate market as one that is burgeoning, as well as GLP-1 therapies.

“At the same time, there are major opportunities in large indications such as Alzheimer’s, inflammatory and pulmonary diseases,” Bilenberg says. “The common thread is agility. CDMOs must be ready to adapt quickly to the evolving needs of both emerging biotech and large pharma as the marketplace continues to grow.”

Bilenberg also highlighted the role of Avid’s new ownership. The acquisition of Avid Bioservices earlier this year by GHO Capital and Ampersand Capital Partners, he says, will help the company adapt to these emerging modalities, with GHO — in particular — bringing deep expertise in investing across life sciences.

“Looking into GHO and their portfolio of companies, I learned that they were one of the most serious investors and backers in the marketplace,” he says, adding that the firm is interested in building a sustainable business.

Partner for reshoring

Beyond those market trends, Bilenberg sees the reshoring of biomanufacturing to the United States as another major opportunity for Avid.

With U.S. production gaining momentum amid concerns over tariffs and supply chain predictability, he views Avid’s facilities as an essential partner for companies looking to secure domestic capacity.

“As more manufacturing moves into the U.S., companies need CDMOs that can provide not only immediate capacity but also the ability to scale with them from development through commercial supply,” Bilenberg argues. “I believe Avid is well positioned to become the partner of choice for this next wave of growth.”

Sustainability as a strategic priority

Alongside growth and scalability, Avid is also working to strengthen its long-term commitment to sustainability.

“At Avid Bioservices, we recognize the impact our operations have on the environment and embrace our responsibility as stewards for a more sustainable future,” says Bilenberg.

The CDMO has implemented initiatives such as composting food waste, converting medical waste into energy, and responsibly sourcing materials. Efforts to reduce energy consumption and recycle waste are complemented by aligning emissions-reduction goals with the Science-Based Targets initiative (SBTi). Avid also participates in EcoVadis and CDP (formerly known as the Carbon Disclosure Project), benchmarking its progress against global standards of transparency and accountability.

“These actions not only support global climate goals but also strengthen our long-term commitment to our environment and community well-being,” Bilenberg added.